Feb 21, 2013

What could be better then chicken stuffed with ham and melted cheese?!

Chicken Cordon Bleu is elegant enough to serve for for company yet simple enough to please any palate, especially picky family members. I usually serve myself two pieces and make a big salad and dinner's done!

Some of you may notice this recipe from the archives, I gave them a mini-makeover and made them simpler and lighter, so throw away your old print-outs and print this out instead.

Previously my instructions called for cutting the chicken breasts yourself. So many of you had a hard time doing this, so I re-worked it with pre-sliced chicken cutlets instead. If you're a pro at slicing your own chicken, then go ahead and do it yourself – you will cut the cost in half.

I also eliminated the toothpicks, which saves time and quite honestly works fine without. A little cheese may ooze out, but that's ok! If you want to use the toothpicks, up to you but it's so much quicker without.

Traditionally when ordered in a restaurant, this dish is fried. Baking them works just fine and no one will noticed you used reduced fat Swiss. Enjoy!

Hello Gina, I found your blog and I love it, I'm on weight watchers four years ago and I like to made new weight watchers recipes. I'm going to copy some of your recipes, I hope you don't mind. Excuse me for my English. From spain: Carmen.

Just made this for the first time....so delicious! I loved it! Made extra for later in the week! Do you think I could freeze these, mid process? Wrapping the ham/cheese in the chicken, and freeze? Add bread crumbs right before I use it?

I've never tried freezing it but why not? As long as you let it thaw before you bread it I can't see why not. Let me know how it turns out. I might have to do that soon too. Need some easy meals I can throw in the oven when the baby comes.

Gina, Just found your site. Love it. I am new to ww. I can use all the help I can get! I have made chicken cordon bleu before but not this low in calories. I always used spaghetti instead of toothpicks so I didn't worry about the little ones getting stuck. Just an idea for anyone with a little one. Thank you so much for all the help! Thanks.

There was a question about freezing. I have been making a similar recipe for many years and always go all the way through rolling the chichen bundles in the bread crumbs and then freezing individual portions. You don't need to thaw the chicken before you bake, but will need to bake it a little longer.

I'm planning on making this for dinner tonight! I'm a little nervous about filleting the chicken. I'm hoping I don't slice my hand off. Fortunately, I found a knife sharpener today so I can sharpen up my blades before I use them. Does a serrated or smooth blade work better for the slicing of the chicken?

I made these for dinner tonight and the pounding really worked. I was worried I didn't have them wrapped well enough, but only had a tiny bit of cheese come out of one. They were very delicious! I love your blog so much.

I just finished assembling these. I popped one in the oven and froze the rest for later. I had some leftover prosciutto from your recipe for lighter chicken saltimboca so I used a slice of that in a few of them to see if it changes the flavor much. but it'll boost the pts a little higher.

I can smell it baking right now and it smells sooooo good. Thanks for all your recipes! They make WW so much easier!

Gina, thanks so much for all the awesome recipes. I am new to the site and love it already. I am wondering though how you get three slices out of a chicken breast, I buy the boneless chicken breast in the frozen section and have trouble just doing halves. What do they normally weigh after you slice them? thanks and keep posting ;-)

i made this once, and i served it with the toothpick in it still, i figured everyone would see them and take me out as they ate, no, my husband ate one. so maybe it would be best to take them out before you serve :)

Can't wait to make this. One thing I have learned from another source is instead of breadcrumbs, make a faux breadcrumb out of Fiber One Cereal (the original twig like cereal). It will make a perfect dish and lower the calories and points a little, Yum! Thanks!

I just saw this recipe. Going to try it. Spinach sounds good in it too. I am assuming it is fresh?? I like the idea of freezing too - if I don't have something readily available after work, I have a tendency to eat "bad" Thanks

so disappointed I couldn't do this. Its like wrapping pudding in jello. all my chicken was torn from the pounding and then trying to put toothpicks in it. Im so upset I hate when I cant do something that seems so simple:(

these were a little hard for me to make because it seems like the chicken pieces were almost too small to wrap a full piece of ham and cheese. i ended up making 5. they were delicious! i need a better chicken technique for next time and it will be a great overall process for me.

I tried these last night with my hubby, who has been telling me for months hoe much he wants chicken cordon bleu. I used chicken tenders and pounded them out, which I was scared wouldn't work but did. My only issue was they cooked a lot faster so I'll have to remember that next time. I also didn't have seasoned breadcrumbs so I used 1/2 dry stovetop stuffing mix and 1/2 panko breadcrumbs and just crushed them in a plastic bag. Anyway- they came out delicious! Great recipe!

Gina - I "discovered" you about 3 weeks ago, and I LOVE your recipes! I love feeling like my Weight Loss Journey doesn't have to be depriving me of all-time favorites (like all of your Italian Recipes!) made this tonight, calculated the P+ values for how I made it, and I'm in love...AGAIN. Thank you!

I made these tonight and they were delicious! My family gobbled them up, asked for seconds and then told me to add them to the rotation. :) I've got PICKY eaters so you done me good Gina! Thanks for another GREAT recipe!

Made these for dinner tonight! They were fantastic! Everyone loved them! Served them with some sauted asparagus and a green salad!! Even better there is some left for me for lunch tomorrow! Another winner!!! Gina U ROCK!!Thanks Denise

My friend told me about your blog and I think I've found some new inspiration for cooking on a healthier level. I've gotta try this recipe tomorrow and see how it goes. Thanks for inspiring this mom/wife/student to make better dinners as she is dashing out the door.

LOVE your recipes. Im not a cook at all and so far I i have tried a dozen of your recipes. Thanks for making cooking so easy and healthy! Quick question, can I replace the ham slice with something else? or not use it at all? I don't eat ham...

Ok Gina, you did it again! Another WINNER! I'm a WW member and have tried many of your recipies. This time, you hit the jackpot! My 12 yr old son is a very picky eater. He thinks the only thing I can prepare is yucky diet food. My hubby and son went back for seconds and want me to keep this in our rotation meals. This dish was so YUMMO and VERY east to prepare! Thank you so much for you DELISH creations and keeping us happy! You are such an inspiration to me and I'm sure many others! A friend of mine invited our family for flank steak pinwheels. Any suggestions for a low points plus recipe? THANKS, HUGS!!!SIGNED, S

I made this last night for my husband's birthday dinner. Chicken Cordon Bleu is his absolute favorite but we all know it's not exactly healthy. I made this gem and it turned out great! I would probably have taken it out at about 20 minutes instead of 25 but my chicken was a bit smaller so that's more my own fault. Delicious taste and my husband was happy! This will be my go to for every birthday from now on. :)

Gina - Love your recipes! I have been making them for about a month now and really enjoy them all! I'm having trouble slicing the chicken breast halves into 3 cutlets. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to get really thin slices?

My husband and I love all of your recipes! They have become a staple in our house! I made this recipe, but I adapted it a little. I used half of a wedge of laughing cow light creamy swiss cheese and a slice of prosciutto on each chicken cutlet. Thank you for posing such great recipes!! - Emily

I know I'm late to this party, but I just tried these last night and they were fabulous! Definitely nothing "light" tasting about them. I used the above idea to secure them with spaghetti noodles, which was genius. Served with pureed cauliflower and roasted broccoli, this was a great meal!

I love making Chicken Cordon Bleu !! I use Cornflakes though :) and sauce to put on top which consists of : Cream of chicken,lemon juice, and sour cream! Its delicious. Always a polished plate when I make this yummy Classic. I however have some crazy people in my family that despise swiss so i alternate theirs with mozzarella! Great Recipe Gina !!

Has anyone tried to make this as a casserole? I've made another recipe that just called for chopping everything up and topping with the breadcrumbs. It was so good, but I know the calorie count was out of this world!

This is one of my FAV go-to's but I've hated having to pull toothpicks out before serving. I've also just pounded chicken breasts flatter after butterflying. I can't wait to try this version as it looks so much easier. It's on for this weekend. Thanks Gina!

I think I will make this tonight! The whole family loved when I made your jalepeno popper-stuffed chicken, but this looks easier and less time-consuming--perfect for after work on a Friday. I'm thinking it might be good dipped in honey mustard, if that isn't too sacreligious to the French ;)

Hi, I've made these a couple times now and absolutely love them! It just occurred to me that I should freeze the leftovers after baking, but I don't know how long to reheat them for and at what temperature. Any suggestions? And do they need to be thawed out before reheating?Thanks!

These were great, I made some with swiss, some with cheddar for kid who doesn't like swiss, and some with just ham for kid who doesn't like melted cheese. Everyone was very happy! Also, this recipe is so easy to double.

I am having a Gina's recipes weekend -tonite we had Salisbury Steak with Mushroom sauce - Fabulous - my husband was over the moon; tomorrow night is the Chicken Cordon Bleu; and Monday is Chicken Enchilada soup; and,,,,, I even made the healthy cookies today [added 1T choc chips; vanilla and flax seeds and ground chia - they are amazing; really satisfy the craving for a 'treat'. Thank you Gina - you are awesome.

Im SO glad I can make these with already-thin cutlets, I tried the broccoli stuffed chicken rolls and I couldn't evenly cut the chicken which made rolling impossible!! Can't wait to try this, I love chicken cordon bleu!!

made this last night-home run! I didn't have seasoned bread crumbs, so I used panko bread crumbs instead. I also opted for reduced fat provolone instead of swiss. it smells so good throughout the house while it's baking & my family & I loved it!

Absolutely fabulous! Every night while we are eating dinner my husband gives the meal a score. This is the first time he has given a meal at 10! He said he was ready to go over and eat everything that was leftover! This one was definite hit!

Made this for dinner tonight, but with a twist. We had some extra tortilla chips in the house that I knew I had to get rid of before they were just eaten all in one sitting. I broke those down and used them as breading. Instead of swiss cheese I used a Colby Jack we had on hand, and added the seasoning mix you use for the Santa Fe Chicken recipe, sprinkled on with the salt and pepper step. Lastly, I swapped out some low-fat Mexican cheese mix for the parmesean.

It was SO GOOD! Served it with a small portion of rice and beans and a salad. Santa Fe Chicken Cordon Bleu!

My boyfriend was super thrilled with it too! He said I could make it any night of the week...

So I just started following Gina and I love this site! This was the first dish I made for my family and it was a winner! I have 3 little ones and my two boys really enjoyed it. My little girl isn't much of a meat eater. I know the serving size is 2 but I was content and happy with 1. My husband said it needed more cheese! LOL! I paired this with the Cauliflower Puree which I also got from this site and we were super happy with it :)

Made this last night. Really yummy. Totally worth the mess I made trying to roll the chicken! (will pound thinner next time) Otherwise, very easy to prepare. I didn't use toothpicks and some of the cheese oozed out but it got nice and crispy on the baking sheet and that's just as good =)

I made this last night for a couple guests, WOW! Awesome feedback! Not only was is crazy simple to make, but my guests thought I slaved to make it, that will be my little secret! Haha. It always to feel good to find something that I can eat, and not gain weight, but also the man likes!

This is a great way to lighten up a classic dish. I'm always trying to do that in my own cooking, but being a college student, it's not always the easiest task. Would Panko breadcrumbs work as a coating? I like them because their crispier than traditional breadcrumbs, but they don't have that great Italian seasoning.

So I made these Sunday night for Monday's dinner and forgot to put them away after cooling...into the trash they went :( Made them again last night for dinner tonight and they look delish!One question...did anyone else have issues with there being excess moisture in the bottom of the baking dish? I used a little Pam, but when I removed these from the oven, there was def. some kind of liquid, resulting in the bottoms being a bit mushy. I put each piece on a wire cooling rack to let air vent under them and it helped...just curious if anyone else had this issue too?

I made this recipe last week and it was amazing!! I wish I'd had it so much sooner. I used to make this by stuffing the chicken breasts, breading them then frying. It took so long and made such a mess that it didn't I just stopped doing it. This recipe brings it back to my weekly menus. Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to the cookbook.- Jamie

Hi Gina, my family and I love this dish. I did use toothpicks, but only to dip them in the egg wash and the breadcrumbs, then I take out the toothpicks as I arrange in dish to bake. Also, I made it a few times at 450 degrees and it was coming out too dry, so now I bake it at 400 for 25 minutes and it's fully cooked and moist. Could be my oven is too hot.

This looks delicious! Since I am only cooking for myself and my husband, 12 chicken breast is a lot so I plan to freeze the extras for a quick and easy dinner! How would you recommend I reheat these from frozen?

How do you think this would do if I froze half of this recipe before I cooked it and then cooked it later according to your directions after it was thawed or should I just cook it all and freeze half the recipe cooked? P.S. My husband just preordered your new cookbook I can't wait to get it! Anytime I make any of your recipes everyone loves it! My 3 and 4 year old boys are getting more adventurous with their eating thanks to you. You are so awesome!!

Hey Gina - can you give us some tips on preparing the chicken correctly and all the rolling an dipping as I guess I didn't make them thin enough so it was really hard to roll them up and then dip in the egg and parmesan/bread crumb mixtures without it all falling apart. Tips please!! It's in the oven right now, can't wait to try it! I made mine with Canadian bacon. You truly have the BEST recipes!!!!!!!!

Yummy!! I will totally have to try this recipe!! I make something similar, but I can't call it skinny....its wrapped in bacon! Lol......http://www.atasteoftheforbiddenfruit.com/from-the-lips-to-the-hipsrecipes.html#cordonbleu